Ryanair claims regarding APD tax cuts “ludicrous”

“It’s ludicrous that Ryanair are claiming that its decision to pull out of Glasgow Airport is due to the aviation industry not being handed yet another tax cut by government. Airlines pay no tax on aviation fuel, there is no VAT on tickets, and airports benefit from duty-free retail. How many more tax cuts does this most-polluting of transport industries want?

“Blaming its withdrawal from Glasgow on APD would appear to be a smokescreen tactic by the company. APD has been in place for almost 25 years, during which time there has been a vast growth in aviation across the UK.

“The aviation industry have claimed various economic benefits from a proposed APD cut, yet there is no independent evidence to suggest that this would be the case. Indeed, this is what the Scottish Parliament’s Finance Committee concluded in its inquiry into APD last year.”